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Chapter 36

A Sweet Dream and

a Nightmare

After closing the door to her apartment, Amanda leaned against it and smiled happily. She couldn't understand what it was about Michael that made her so happy. She had felt this way about him ever since she ran into him at work that day so many months ago. She thought about it and the only thing she could think of that caused him to become so important to her was how, after knocking him down, he didn't berate her for being clumsy or not paying attention to where she was going; it had to be because he had wrapped his arms around her and, after they landed on the floor, he had asked her if she was all right. Plus, after she got off of him to collect the papers she'd dropped, he had asked her if he could help her. Nobody had ever spoken to her like that after an accident she had caused. He also didn't look at her as a sex object because of her looks like so many other men had done. Michael reminded her of her father and her oldest sibling, Marshall, the only two people she had spent any time with while growing up who had ever shown her any kind of love.

She walked back to her bedroom, undressed, and put her nightgown on. She turned down her covers and slipped into her bed and lay there thinking. She imagined her and Michael being married and making love almost every night. As she thought these things, her hand slipped to her right breast, gently massaged it and she imagined it was Michael doing that for her. Even though she had done this numerous times in the past, it was only when she started imagining Michael caressing her that she actually started enjoying it the way everyone said she should enjoy it. As she gave herself pleasure, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

*****

After Amanda fell asleep, she started dreaming. In the dream, she was wearing a beautiful, sleeveless, shoulder-less, white wedding dress with lace connecting the front to the back. For the first time in her life, she was in public with her stripes on display and she was happy about it. The dress reached from the top of her modest B-cup breasts to her ankles and had a 6-foot-long train. She had a lacy veil that covered her face to just below her jawline. In her hands was a bouquet of white roses.

Her father was standing to her right while they stood in front of a closed double door. In front of her was Anne Panthera wearing a very pretty sleeveless, pink dress. Amanda guessed her to be 3 or 4 years old. Next to Anne was Amanda's youngest brother 7-year-old Erich, he was dressed in a miniature tuxedo and was fussing with the bow-tie. Erich hated wearing anything that was tight around his throat. Amanda knelt down and explained to him how important it was for him to wear it and he finally desisted. Thanks to Michael, Amanda's younger siblings had started treating her with more respect and love.

After a few seconds, she heard a piano start playing her wedding march, the doors opened and Anne started walking down the aisle toward the altar as she slowly dropped red, pink, and white rose petals onto the floor. After a few seconds, the doors opened a second time and Erich started walking down the aisle carrying the pillow on which lay the wedding rings that Amanda would be exchanging with her future husband.

After Anne and Erich reached the altar, the doors opened a third time and Amanda and Jacob started walking down the aisle toward the altar. Behind her, Kaunis Karhu, Bertha's now 9 or 10-year-old daughter, wearing a pink dress similar to Anne's, was holding the end of the train to Amanda's dress off of the floor. As she slowly approached the altar, Amanda noticed a movement to her left. She turned her head and saw an Arctic fox in his winter phase looking at her and smiling. Next to him, she saw a youngish Mexican red wolf laying her head on his shoulder and smiling at her as well. Between the wolf and fox, sat a young mixed-blood little girl who was playing with a doll and didn't even notice as Amanda walked past her. Amanda recognized the Arctic fox although she couldn't remember his name; the Mexican red wolf was someone she couldn't remember ever seeing but, she smiled back at her. Amanda was smiling happily as she approached the man that she loved and would soon be married to.

It was during this dream that Amanda was awakened by her telephone ringing.

**********

After driving home, Michael went to his bedroom and got ready for bed. After stripping to his underclothes, he sat on the edge of the bed for several seconds and thought. He found that the more he thought of Amanda the happier he got. He'd never met anyone who could make him so happy and expect so little in exchange. Oh, sure. She wanted him to make love with her but, other than that, Amanda just wanted to be in his company because, as she put it, he made her feel like she was worthy of being loved. He thought back to the week they had spent in Jaguarville recently and he smiled as he remembered how she had regularly tried to seduce him. He also remembered how he had finally admitted to her that his feelings for her were no longer as a friend for a friend but as a man for a woman and how happy she had been when he admitted to her that he really was in love with her, not because she was a humanimal, not despite her being a humanimal but because she was who she was.

Michael smiled as he thought this last thought and slid between the sheets of his bed. He lay there for a few minutes before his eyes finally started closing in sleep. He turned his head toward the other side of the bed and he imagined seeing Amanda's pretty face looking at him lovingly and cuddling with him. Finally, he fell asleep.

*****

Michael tossed and turned in his sleep. Unlike Amanda, he wasn't having a happy dream. He felt himself moving through Catlanna. He wasn't walking; he was just moving. He even looked down at his feet and saw that they were stationary although the ground beneath them was moving. “What's going on?" He thought. “Am I in a Charles Dickens novel?"

He continued to move through the city until he came upon an automobile accident at an intersection in a part of Catlanna he'd never visited before. He couldn't understand why he would be here. It bothered him that he was here. He looked and saw a limousine that had a very badly crushed passenger side. There was another automobile near the limousine. This vehicle had a crushed front end. Michael figured that the limousine had been t-boned by the other vehicle at the intersection.

As Michael stood there, he saw the Arctic fox he'd seen in the dreams he'd had the night before he told Amanda that he loved her. Now, the fox had a line of red down the side of his face and he was talking on a primitive cellular telephone. Michael stood nearby and listened to what was happening.

A police officer walked up and said, “Sir, are you all right?"

“Just a minute, Edgar."

The fox turned to the police officer and said, “I'm sorry. I was talking to my lawyer. What did you say?"

“I asked you if you were all right."

“Yes, I'm fine. How's the driver of the other car?"

“I'm afraid he died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident, sir."

The fox whispered, “Damn." Then, he looked at the police officer and said, “Thank you, Officer."

“Was there anyone else in your automobile, sir?"

A sudden thought crossed the fox's mind and he said, “Oh, yes. My fiance. How is she?"

“Where was she sitting?"

“She was on the passenger side."

They all looked at the passenger side of the vehicle before the police officer said, “Don't worry, sir. We'll get her out. Maybe she's all right."

“Thank you, Officer. Please let me know when you get her out."

“We will, sir."

The fox went back to his telephone call, “You've got to do something, Edgar."

“I don't know, sue his family or something."

Sarcastically, the fox said, “Of course he died. Why do you think I want to sue his family. He may have cost me a fortune."

The fox talked on the telephone for several minutes before Michael noticed that some paramedics had arrived with a stretcher. Michael left the fox and followed the paramedics. Just as the paramedics arrived, the passenger rear door was being pulled open. It took several police officers to pull it open. The paramedics reached in and gently pulled a body out of the limousine. Michael couldn't see the woman's face but her body looked very familiar. Then, he noticed the red fox red fur and tiger's stripes. Michael's breath started coming in short, quick gasps. Then, they turned her over and he saw the open, unblinking eyes with dilated pupils and slightly open mouth. She was covered in blood.

Michael cried out, “NO! Oh, god, no, no, no." He rushed up to the side of the stretcher and started calling her name, “Amanda! Please say something! Please! NO! NO, NO, NO!"

Tears started forming in his eyes as he watched a paramedic, a field mouse, feel for her pulse. After several seconds, he took out a stethoscope and placed in over her heart and listened. Finally, he took a small mirror out and placed it in front of her mouth. After he did all of these things, he looked at the police officer and sadly shook his head. The police officer nodded a short, quick nod and walked back to the fox.

Michael knelt down and tried to take Amanda's hand but his passed right through hers. He was sobbing uncontrollably. He fell to his knees and looked toward the sky. “NO!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. “You can't be dead! We have our entire future ahead of us! Amanda!" He tried to hug her but, once again, he passed through her.

Michael stood and walked back to where the Arctic fox was standing. He overheard the police officer say, “I'm sorry, sir. She didn't make it."

The blood ran cold in his veins when he heard the fox say, “Very well, Officer. Thank you." After feeling of his temple, the fox said, “Could I get a ride to the hospital. I find that I'm injured after all."

Even the police officer seemed to be surprised at the fox's callousness concerning the death of his fiance. After a couple of seconds, the police officer semi-sarcastically said, “Yes, sir. I'll inform the paramedics that you're injured."

The fox continued his interrupted conversation. “Yes, Edgar. I definitely want that drunk's family sued. She died in the accident. He cost me millions."

The fox's callousness made Michael so angry he tried to hit him with his fist but, once again, Michael's fist just passed through the fox.

Michael could only say, “You cold-hearted sonofabitch! I don't know how she became your fiance but Amanda died and all you can think of is how her death is going to cost you millions. If I could, I'd beat your ass right here in front of God and everybody."

*****

As soon as he said that, Michael could hear a familiar laughter in his ear. Michael turned and saw a shadowy figure standing a few feet away from him. He approached the figure but the figure stayed just a few feet away from him. “Don't try to approach me, Michael. You'll never get any closer to me than you are right now. I can approach you but you can't approach me." Once again, the figure laughed.

Angrily, Michael said, “Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why don't you want me to be happy?"

“I couldn't care less if you're happy or not."

Pointing back to the scene that was suddenly frozen, Michael said, “Then, why this?"

“Because I'm your conscience Michael. You're in love with an animal. I've told you that ever since you started to feel love toward her. You aren't supposed to love animals that way. Haven't I always told you that?"

“Damn you, I've told you time and time again, she isn't an animal. Her DNA is half-human."

“Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Or, as Shakespeare said, 'A rose by any other name'.

Michael lunged at the shadowy figure only to have it once again stay a few feet away from him. Once again, it laughed. “You're not as smart as you're given credit for being. I keep telling you that you can't approach me; I'm like a shadow. Have you ever tried to catch your shadow? It can't be done." Once again the figure laughed.

Michael could hear the fox talking again causing him to turn toward the voice. “Yes, sir. I have an injury on my head."

A kinkajou paramedic was examining the fox's head and found a relatively small cut on his head. “Sir, you've got a small cut on your head. You really don't need to go to the hospital."

“I demand to be taken to the hospital. My insurance will pay for the trip and I intend to go to the hospital."

With disgust in his voice, the paramedic said, “Yes, sir. Follow me."

The fox turned to a chauffeur who could barely stand and said, “Charles, wait here for the insurance company and explain to them what happened. They should be here in about half-an-hour."

The chauffeur said, wearily, “Yes, sir."

Another paramedic, a lemur, stepped up to Charles and gave him a quick examination. The paramedic turned to another one and said, “This man seems to have a concussion. He needs to go to the hospital. Bring a stretcher." When the stretcher was brought, Charles was placed on it, put into the same ambulance that the fox had entered, and the ambulance left the scene.

*****

Michael now found himself in the hospital's morgue as a gurney with a body covered with a cloth on it was wheeled in. Michael saw the body and started trembling. He knew who it was. Despite his desires to the contrary, he was drawn to the stretcher. He had to take another look at the body. Even though he couldn't strike the fox earlier, he easily removed the cloth.

When he had pulled the cloth down to just below Amanda's breasts, he heard a voice, not the voice of his “conscience" but an entirely different voice. The voice said, “It's hard, isn't it?"

Without turning away from looking at her lifeless face, Michael responded, “What? What's hard?"

“Looking at the lifeless body of someone you love."

Ducking his head as he fought the tears in his eyes, Michael said, “It's harder than I ever imagined it would be and I imagined it would be very difficult."

Michael felt a hand on his shoulder and suddenly realized what was happening. He turned toward the hand and saw an older gentleman wearing scrubs. “You can see me?"

“Of course, I can see you. Why wouldn't I see you? I'm in your dream as well."

“Then, then, this is a dream?"

“Yes, it is, Michael. This is what will happen if you continue with your relationship with her."

Suddenly, Michael turned and grabbed the man. “Now, I've got you. I ought to beat your ass for what you're doing to me."

Before Michael could react, the man disappeared and another, similar looking man, appeared a couple of feet from Michael. “Ah, ah, Michael. You're not supposed to touch us." He said.

Irritated, Michael said, “Who the Hell are you?"

Looking away from Michael but focusing on something or someone, the new person said, “You could say I'm his opposite."

“What?"

“His opposite. You know, like the angel and the demon that vie for control of your decisions? He's what you could call the demon. He wants to see you hurt and upset. I, on the other hand, want to see you happy."

From a distance, they could hear a voice saying, “I want him to be happy. I just want him happy with a human, not an animal."

“Where is he?"

“Close but, far enough away that he can't interfere with our conversation."

“Please explain what's going on."

“I'll do my best, Michael but, I can't tell you exact details.

“My counterpart is trying to convince you that it's wrong to love Amanda." He indicated the body on the gurney. “As you may have noticed, he's little more than a shadow. I, on the other hand, am quite light, quite visible, in fact, you can see my facial features whereas you could only see a general form to my counterpart's face."

“Why? Why can't I see him clearly but I can see you clearly?"

“It's just the way things are, Michael. I'm the good part of you and he's the bad part."

The other, similar voice said, “Don't believe him, Michael. He'll lead you to disaster. Trust me."

Michael looked in the general direction of the voice he was hearing and said, “I don't trust you any further than I can throw you into a hurricane headwind."

The new figured snickered at the idea. He said, “Michael, I have to tell you that there's nothing you can do. This accident will happen."

“Will Amanda die?"

“I can't tell you for certain. All I can do is show you a possible, possible, future."

“Then, show me this future."

*****

Once again, Michael found himself traveling through Catlanna. Now, he's back at the scene of the accident. Once again, he sees the limousine with the severely crushed passenger side. Once again, he sees the automobile with the crushed front end. Once again, he sees the Arctic fox talking on the ancient cellular phone. Once again, he could hear the conversation the fox was having. It sounded almost exactly like the original conversation he had overheard.

*****

The police officer Michael had seen earlier walked up and said, “Sir, are you all right?"

“Just a minute, Edgar."

The fox, once again, turned to the police officer and said, “I'm sorry. I was talking to my lawyer. What did you say?"

“I asked if you were all right."

“Yes, I'm fine. How's the driver of the other car?"

“I'm afraid he died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident, sir."

The fox whispered, “Damn." Then, he looked at the police officer and said, “Thank you, Officer."

“Was there anyone else in your automobile, sir?"

A sudden thought crossed the fox's mind and he said, “Yes, my finance. How is she?"

“Where was she sitting?"

“She was on the passenger side."

They all looked at the passenger side of the vehicle before the police officer said, “Don't worry, sir. We'll get her out. Maybe she's all right."

“Thank you, Officer. Please let me know when you get her out."

“We will, sir."

The fox went back to his telephone call, “You've got to do something, Edgar."

“I don't know, sue his family or something."

Sarcastically, the fox said, “Of course, he died. Why do you think I want to sue his family. He may have cost me a fortune."

The fox talked on the telephone for several minutes before Michael noticed that some paramedics had arrived with a stretcher. Michael left the fox and followed the paramedics again. Just as they arrived, the passenger rear door was being pulled open. It had taken several police officers to pull it open. One of the paramedics leaned in and Michael could see that he seemed to be talking to someone.

The paramedic pulled his head out and turned to another paramedic and said, “Joseph, bring that stretcher over here. She's severely injured."

Joseph, a spider monkey, wheeled the stretcher over and he and the other paramedic gently moved the female around to try to prevent further injury and slowly eased her out of the limousine. Even though Michael couldn't see her face, he knew it was Amanda. He was holding his breath when he finally was rewarded with seeing her chest move up and down as she took a breath. He also heard he moan in pain. Tears of happiness started streaming down Michael's face.

Michael walked back to where the Arctic fox was standing. He overheard the police officer say, “Sir, your fiance is alive but gravely injured. Right now, I'd say it's hit or miss as to whether or not she'll survive."

Once again, the blood ran cold in Michael's veins as he heard the fox say, “Very well, Officer." Once again, the fox felt of is temple and said, “Could I get a ride to the hospital. I'm injured."

Even the police officer seemed to be surprised at the fox's callousness concerning the severe injuries to Amanda. After a couple of seconds, the police officer semi-sarcastically said, “Yes, sir. I'll inform the paramedics that you're injured."

The fox continued his interrupted conversation, “Yes, Edgar. I definitely want that drunk's family sued, especially if she dies. He could potentially cost me millions."

The fox's callousness once again made Michael so angry he wanted to hit him but Michael knew it was a waste of time and effort. Instead of trying, Michael just turned and walked a few feet away.

Michael could hear the fox talking again, causing him to turn toward the voice. “Yes, sir. I have an injury on my head."

A kinkajou paramedic was examining the fox's head and found a relatively small cut on his head. “Sir, you've got a small cut on your head. You really don't need to go to the hospital."

“I demand to be taken to the hospital. My insurance will pay for the trip and I intend to go to the hospital."

With disgust in his voice, the paramedic said, “Yes, sir. Follow me."

The fox turned to a chauffeur who could barely stand and said, “Charles, wait here for the insurance company and explain to them what happened. They should be here in about half-an-hour."

The chauffeur said, wearily, “Yes, sir."

Another paramedic, a lemur, stepped up to Charles and gave him a quick examination. The paramedic turned to another one and said, “This man seems to have a concussion. He needs to go to the hospital. Bring a stretcher." When the stretcher was brought, Charles was placed on it, put into the same ambulance that Amanda and the fox had entered, and the ambulance left the scene.

Michael turned to the second figure and said, “Which of these possible futures will happen?"

Michael could sense the second figure smiling as he said, “Ah, ah, Michael. I've already told you I can't tell you which will occur. I can only tell you that the accident will occur and which one is fulfilled will depend on your future choice."

“What choice?"

“The choice of whether or not you continue in your relationship with Amanda."

“You mean to tell me that, even though I can't prevent this accident from happening, it will be my decision about Amanda and me that will cause one of them to come true?"

“Yes, Michael. I can't tell you which decision you make causes which situation to occur. All I can say is, 'Choose wisely.'"

“How will I know if I've made the right decision?"

“You'll know. You'll feel it right here." The light figure touched Michael over his heart.

Just then, Michael awoke with a start. It was the type of awakening that occurs when you're in that twilight sleep and you suddenly feel yourself falling and, just before you hit the ground, you awaken. Michael's body flinched shaking the bed. His eyes sprung open and he looked fearfully around his bedroom.

**********

After looking around his room for several seconds, Michael realized that he had been dreaming. He thought about the dreams and realized that he knew he was dreaming and the dreams were realistic, except that he was only an observer and couldn't interact with what was going on. The only time he could interact was when he was in the morgue and had actually caught his tormentor for a few seconds.

As he lay there thinking, he decided he needed to make a telephone call. He reached over to his nightstand, picked up the telephone receiver, and dialed ten numbers. After listening to the other telephone ring three times, he was rewarded with hearing a sleepy sounding female voice say, “Hello."

“Hey, sweetheart."

The sleepy voice changed into a happy one as Amanda said, “Michael. Why are you calling me at this hour. Do you realize it's 2116?"

“Really? No, I didn't realize that was the time. I just had a dream. After I awoke, I thought about you and decided to give you a call. How are you doing?"

“I was sleeping quite soundly and having the best dream when, in my dream, I heard a telephone ringing while walking along the beach with my new husband. The telephone ringing made me think, 'Who's got a telephone on Dogtona Beach?'"

Michael laughed softly at the thought and said, “Sorry. I guess you're all right. So, I should let you get back to sleep."

“Oh, no you don't. You aren't getting off that easily. What was your dream about?"

“I—I don't think I should tell you."

Now, Amanda's voice sounded worried. “Why? What happened to me?"

“Now, Amanda, what makes you think something happened to you in my dream?"

“Because one of the first things you said after I answered the telephone was, 'How are you doing?' The next thing was that you refused to tell me what the dream was about. Did I get hurt in your dream?"

“Amanda, please, I don't really want to talk about it."

Getting a bit irritated, Amanda said, “Michael, you started this. Tell me about the dream."

“Do you know what a lucid dream is?"

“I think I've heard of them but I don't know what they are."

“A lucid dream is a dream that's so real, you can feel, smell and taste anything you see in the dream."

“Okay."

“Well, I had one of those dreams, two actually, and you were in both of them."

“And something happened to me in the dreams? What happened Michael?"

“Amanda, I'd rather not say."

“Did I get hurt in the dreams, Michael? No! Did I . . . did I . . . did I die?"

His voice full of emotion, Michael said, “Amanda, please. I don't want to talk about it. I never should have mentioned it. Just be careful. Okay?"

“All right, Michael."

“Thank you, Amanda. Now, lets try to get some more sleep. We're going to be going to the gun range tomorrow and we're going to need plenty of sleep so we don't have an accident."

It was several seconds before Amanda finally said, “All right, Michael." Michael could hear a smile in her voice as she added, “Good night, Michael. I love you."

Michael smiled as he said, “I love you, too. Good night."